US navy commander warns of naval standoff over Chinese aggression

"I'm concerned by the aggressive growth of the Chinese military": Admiral Harry Harris. Photo: Navy Times

The top US Navy commander in the Pacific has launched a stinging attack on China's "aggressive" military growth, warning that Beijing's assertiveness is a "witches' brew" for a naval standoff.

In unusually strong language, Admiral Harry Harris, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, branded China's establishment of a controlled flight zone around islands disputed with Japan dangerous and unilateral.

"I'm concerned by the aggressive growth of the Chinese military, the lack of transparency and a pattern of increasingly assertive behaviour in the region," Admiral Harris told a conference in Canberra on Wednesday night.

Late last year, China established an air defence identification zone - demanding any country inform Beijing before it flies through the area. This was widely seen as a provocation in its dispute with Japan over a cluster of disputed islands in the East China Sea and led to several tense exchanges between Beijing and Canberra.

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"The way China went about it was dangerous - unilaterally, without consultation with other parties and over disputed waters," Admiral Harris told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute conference.

"In tense times, it's all the more important for nations to consult and co-ordinate, especially when national intentions are unclear."

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The US has been ratcheting up the rhetoric in recent months about China's increasing maritime assertiveness in the East China Sea and South China Sea, but even against that background, Admiral Harris' remarks represent a tough message to Beijing.

Admiral Harris accused China of effectively bullying its neighbours in a way that is stoking tensions, leading to the risk of a confrontation.

"This includes maritime sovereignty claims that have no basis in, or relationship to, international law, such as the area within the so-called nine-dash line.

"There's both growing uncertainty in the region and increasing tensions. A witches' brew for miscalculation."

He added that this increased the need for a continued US presence in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Admiral Harris also urged Australia to invest in its future fleet of submarines so as not to become irrelevant as a power.

"Australia does indeed have a choice: to be a relevant maritime power or not. The type of submarine, the numbers you buy, and even where you build them, are tactical questions."

His remarks came as Prime Minister Tony Abbott arrived in China for what is regarded as an acutely sensitive visit, having just sealed free trade agreements with Japan and South Korea.

After China announced its air defence zone, the Abbott government hauled the Chinese ambassador in for a dressing down. Soon after that, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop received a rebuke in front of the television cameras by her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in an excruciating exchange.